(As an aside, I'm not Christian either so in the spirit of celebrating the "holidays," I did send out Hanukkah cards a few years back. My friends who are used to my sense of the absurd chuckled over that one. :P )
Anyway, I had recently made latkes (Jewish potato pancakes) and totally forgot about it until I saw Kirk of Mmm-yoso's post about his missus's request for them. My latkes recipe is pretty similar to what he used, minus the matzo meal.
Latkes (Jewish Potato Pancakes)
Adapted from Jewish Holiday Style by Rita Milos Brownstein
For half a dozen 4-inch latkes, you'll need:
4 medium potatoes, grated
1 small onion, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
oil for frying
While you're peeling the potatoes, put the peeled ones in a bowl of heavily salted water to keep them white. Then grate 4 medium-sized potatoes and 1 small onion on the large holes. Put the grated potatoes into a colander with a deep plate or bowl underneath it to catch excess water and starch.
When the potatoes and onion are completely grated, add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper and toss until thoroughly mixed. Then press into the colander or squeeze with your hands to eliminate excess water. Don't throw out the extra water in the bowl just yet.
Put the grated potatoes and onion into a bowl and add in 1 egg and mix thoroughly. By this time, the excess starch will have settled at the bottom of the bowl that was underneath the colander. Drain out the excess water, and add the potato starch into the grated potato mixture.
Form into 4-inch wide patties, pressing firmly to remove still any more excess liquid, and pan-fry on medium-high heat until golden. Let them drain on brown paper bags to retain crispness.
Traditionally, latkes are served with sour cream or apple sauce. I *gasp* eat mine with ketchup. :)
Enjoy!
Who else made latkes?
Kirk of Mmm-yoso made latkes with matzo meal.
*****
1 year ago today, I gave you my recipe for salt and pepper lemon baked chicken and began laying out my sushi and dim sum quilt.
Mazel tov! Your latkas look BEAUTIFUL! And, your recipe is pretty much the classic version (well, my dad's version) good choice!
ReplyDeleteKudos on your tasty work, enjoy!
Looks like a good snack.
ReplyDeleteBTW, not knowing how to cook does not preclude one from enjoying good food =PPPPP
Hey WC - This the season to eat latkes'''fararara-rara-rara! Thanks for the link. Looks delish.....
ReplyDeleteOddlyme,
ReplyDeleteThanks! Any recipe that gets dads into the kitchen is good enough for me. :)
Alex,
Yes, but we're not even married and you're already making demands? Tut, tut. I don't know if this would work out. ;)
My mom's a fabulous cook, but even if she wasn't, my dad's attitude is if you're hungry, you eat what's set in front of you. If you don't like it, you cook. So there! :P
Hi Kirk,
Yup. I pretty much only make these in December. Must be the inner Jew in me. Haha. :)
So it turns out you have a lot in common with Kirk's as well as his Missus! He said she uses ketchup on the latkes too!
ReplyDeleteElmo,
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say, I'm conditioned to eat potatoes with ketchup. :)
Looks delicious. I think latkes are my favorite part of our Chanukah celebrations!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe you list is very similar to what we do, as well. My grandmother used to add a few tablespoons of matzo meal, but we've changed that to a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour - might want to try that next time, I think it makes the texture a little nicer than just potato and onion.
Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I'll try it next time.